Research centres Métis voices in understanding health and well-being

University of Calgary public health researchers are seeking to better understand how Métis people in Alberta define and experience health, spirituality and well-being in their own words.

The work is helping address a gap in research that has often considered Indigenous health broadly, without focusing specifically on Métis experiences. It also offers insight into the lasting impacts of colonization and the importance of connection to culture and community.

As Canada marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, a study published in BMJ Open offers an opportunity to listen to and learn from Métis perspectives on health, identity, spirituality and well-being.

Participants spoke about searching for connection to Métis culture and community, learning traditions that had been lost across generations, and navigating the lasting effects of colonization and intergenerational trauma. They also spoke of hardship in the form of racism and disconnected identities. 

Led by Dr. Carla Ginn, PhD’17, a member of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine and associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing, the research was developed with members of the former Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3, now part of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government.

More than 100 Métis community members contributed to the research, with Elders and community leaders helping shape and interpret the findings.

“We really worked at developing this together,” says Ginn. “The ideas came from the community, and we wanted to make sure community members were involved throughout the process.”

The research identified six interconnected themes related to health, spirituality and well-being, including connection, identity, spirituality, traditional teachings and the impacts of colonial systems.

Many participants described spirituality as an important part of health and well-being, while sharing a wide range of perspectives on religion and spiritual practice.

For Ginn, one of the most important findings was the diversity of experiences shared by participants.

“There is no single Métis experience,” she says. “People had different perspectives, different relationships with spirituality and different experiences with identity, but there was a great deal of respect for those diverse viewpoints.”

The ongoing journey of reconnection

Participants described experiences of racism and discrimination, including within the health-care system. Some also spoke about the challenges of reconnecting with Métis identity after generations of cultural disruption caused by colonial policies.

“I myself am white passing so I have yet to experience discrimination in the health system but my non-white passing relatives have,” wrote one participant. “This affects their desire to access services and distrust the system.”  

Wrote another: “I’m having to learn about what it means to be Métis from people outside my family. I feel pride and curiosity, but also pain.”

Dr. Craig Ginn, PhD, a citizen of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government and a member of the research team, says the collaborative approach was essential to ensuring the research reflected community priorities and lived experiences.

“A Métis-guided, community-based approach ensured that the research reflected community priorities and lived experiences,” says Craig Ginn. “It represents a commitment to an ethical approach to research with Indigenous communities.”

Craig hopes Métis community members will see their own experiences reflected in the findings.

“I hope that Métis community members might recognize their own experiences in the themes of searching for connection, reclaiming identity and learning culture,” he says. “The findings also highlight the strength, resilience and ongoing efforts of Métis people to reconnect with community, teachings and spirituality.”

The study also points to the importance of community-led research in advancing understanding of Métis health and well-being.

“I hope people come away with a better understanding of who Métis people are,” says Carla Ginn. “Métis histories and experiences are not always well understood, and this research helps bring forward community voices and perspectives that deserve to be heard.”

Researchers hope the findings will support ongoing conversations about Métis identity, health, spirituality and well-being. The research team has shared the findings at Métis gatherings and plans to continue presenting them at Otipemisiwak Métis Government community events to bring the conversation back to the communities that shaped the study.